A new and economic approach to synthesize and fabricate bioactive diopside ceramics using a modified domestic microwave oven. Part 2: effect of P2O5 additions on diopside bioactivity and mechanical properties.

In this work, diopside based ceramics was obtained by solid state reaction using conventional sintering (CS) and microwave sintering (MS). Moreover, different amounts of P2O5 (0.5-5.0 wt.%) have been added. It has been found that a relative density up to 95% theoretical was obtained for diopside containing 2.0 and 5.0 wt.% P2O5, sintered at 1250 °C for 2h and at 1075 °C only for 15 min using CS and MS. Excellent values of micro hardness (7.4 ± 0.1 GPa) and 3 point flexural strength (about 270 MPa) for samples containing 5 wt.% P2O5, sintered at 1075 °C for 15 min using MS were measured. Besides this, a relatively low weight loss ratio has been measured (0.01%) for diopside samples containing 5 wt.% P2O5, sintered under the same conditions, after soaking in physiological salt solution for 2 days. Additionally, the bioactivity of diopside by the possibility of formation of apatite on the surface of pure diopside and diopside containing 2 wt.% of P2O5 immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) was also confirmed. Finally, particular nano-sized of Carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) crystals (rice shaped) were formed and covered the surface of these samples, soaked in SBF solution for 14 days.